Juneteenth Festival Moves to Waterfront Green

Vallejo’s 33rd Annual Juneteenth Celebration is moving to a new location this year. One of the City’s most popular annual community events, the Juneteenth festival is moving from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Park behind the JFK Library to a familiar open space across the street, Barbara Kondylis Waterfront Green on Mare Island Way at Capitol Street.

Organized by the African American Family Reunion Committee (AAFRC), the Juneteenth celebration takes place Saturday, June 17 from 11 am to 5 pm. This year’s festival includes a parade which starts at 9 a.m. beginning at Broadway and Tennessee Street to Sonoma Boulevard, ending downtown near the waterfront. Entries of all kinds will be accepted until June 2. The application is on the website to download at www.vallejojuneteenth.com.

The festival exhibitors will be offering a wide range of information, including medical and mental health, financial planning, education and job training opportunities, and food and nutrition. In addition to activities for kids, merchants will offer clothing, handcrafted and unique items for sale, and visitors can enjoy a wide selection of popular cuisines prepared by local food vendors. Bring a lawn chair, hat, and sunscreen to sit on the green and enjoy a great music entertainment lineup of funk, R&B, gospel, Latin rock, jazz, and Salsa.

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Pres. Abraham Lincoln Jan. 1, 1863. On June 19, 1865, two-and-half-years later at a church gathering in Galveston, Texas, Major General Gordon Granger announced the end of the Civil War and that the more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state were free by executive decree. On June 18, 2021, President Joe Biden declared Juneteenth as the 12th federal holiday. In June 2021, Vallejo became the first city in Solano County to display the official Juneteenth flag after a unanimous vote by the City Council. The flag is displayed at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park during the month of June. The Council is expected to approve a proclamation on May 23 proclaiming the week of June 19 as Juneteenth Week.

Anyone who is looking to volunteer for community service at Juneteenth may contact the committee by email at aafrc@vallejojuneteenth.com. For more information about the parade or festival, visit vallejojuneteenth.com.